A/HRC/19/60/Add.2 C. Manifestations of intolerance 35. Relations among the followers of different religions and beliefs, including those who identify themselves as non-believers, generally seem to be peaceful in the country. When observing the interaction between members of different religious groups, however, the Special Rapporteur had the impression that a culture of interreligious communication still needed to be developed. Furthermore, he received credible reports about manifestations of intolerance against members of minorities and even some incidents of intimidation or vandalism, especially in rural areas. Such incidences have also been reported in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova. 36. While members of religious minorities do not face problems when practicing their religions within the confines of their houses of worship or in other private settings, they may encounter difficulties when attempting to hold religious ceremonies, such as processions or gatherings, in the public sphere. The Special Rapporteur heard credible allegations that, in parts of the country, it happened that local Orthodox priests could exercise a de facto veto over public gatherings of religious minorities. In the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova, the village authorities typically do not give permission for public religious activities without first consulting with the local Orthodox priest, who, in turn, is most likely to veto the presence of a competing denomination in public settings. From the perspective of human rights, such a practice is unacceptable, as the freedom of religion or belief includes the possibility to profess and manifest one's convictions in both private and public spheres. 37. Reportedly, even the burial of deceased members of religious minorities in rural areas is occasionally met with the resistance of certain Orthodox groups who want the local cemetery (owned by the municipality) to remain free of graves of other denominations, such as Baptists, Methodists or Pentecostals. As a result of such aggressive opposition, in some cases, funerals had to be postponed and the bereaved faced difficulties in burying their loved ones in a dignified way, which is obviously an appalling situation. In addition, according to information received from different interlocutors, incidents of vandalism against Protestant houses of worship have occasionally occurred, such as the breaking of windows or the tearing down of walls during construction. The Special Rapporteur could not find any examples of the Orthodox Church clearly condemning such acts of violence or hostility sometimes perpetrated in the name of Orthodox Christianity. 38. The best documented case of public manifestation of religious intolerance against a religious minority was the removal and the demolition of the Jewish Chanukah Menorah displayed in a public place in Chisinau, in December 2009.10 A mob of around 100 people led by an Orthodox priest removed the Menorah and subsequently dumped it upside-down on a nearby monument to Stefan cel Mare, a medieval Moldovan prince and saint in the Moldovan Orthodox tradition. While political authorities and the media expressed outrage at this public manifestation of religious intolerance, no condemnation, let alone apology, was publicly made by the Moldovan Orthodox Church to the Jewish community. This was a missed opportunity to emphasize that central public places belong to everyone on a nondiscriminatory basis. The priest was eventually sentenced to paying a small fine. 39. Some elderly interlocutors from different denominations still remembered the traditionally strong cultural influence of the Jewish community. Before the Second World War, the Jewish community accounted for approximately seven to eight per cent of the population of the territory now occupied by the Republic of Moldova, and the majority population of a number of towns. Today, the Jewish community in the country is much 10 A/HRC/16/53/Add.1, paras. 336-345. 11